Sixth chain of transmission
Imām Aḥmad (1) said: Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd narrated to us; Suwayd ibn Najīḥ narrated to us, from Yazīd al-Faqīr, who said:
“I said to Abū Saʿīd: ‘Among us are men who recite the Quran more fluently than any of us, pray more than any of us, maintain family ties better than any of us, and fast more often than any of us—yet they have raised their swords against us.’
Abū Saʿīd replied, ‘I heard the Prophet ﷺ say:
“A people will appear who recite the Quran, yet it will not pass beyond their throats. They will dart out of the religion just as an arrow shoots clean through its prey.”’
This wording is unique to Aḥmad; the Six Books do not contain it. Its chain is acceptable, for all its transmitters are trustworthy, and Suwayd (ibn Najīḥ, this very man) is regarded as mastūr (2)—of unknown detailed biography, yet unreproached.
Seventh chain of transmission
Imām Aḥmad (3) said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq narrated to us; Maʿmar narrated to us, from al-Zuhrī, from Abū Salamah ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, from Abū Saʿīd, who said:
“While the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was distributing some property, Ibn Dhī al-Khuwayṣira (4) al-Tamīmī came to him and said, ‘Be just, O Messenger of Allah!’
The Prophet replied, ‘Woe to you! Who will be just if I am not?’
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said, ‘Messenger of Allah, do you permit me to strike his neck?’
He answered, ‘Leave him, for he will have companions. One of you would deem his own prayer paltry beside their prayer, and his own fasting paltry beside their fasting. They will dart out of the religion just as an arrow passes clean through its prey. A man examines the arrow’s feathers (5) and finds nothing on them, then looks at its shaft (6) and finds nothing, then looks at its binding (7) and finds nothing, and finally looks at its tip and finds nothing—it has outstripped the flesh and the blood.
Their distinguishing sign (8) is a black man whose one hand [or, he said, one breast] (9) is like a woman’s breast, or like a dangling piece of flesh (10). They will emerge at a time of slackness (11) among the people.’ ”
Concerning him the verse was revealed: “And among them are those who find fault with you regarding the charity distributions” (at-Tawbah 9:58).
Abū Saʿīd said, “I bear witness that I heard this from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”